— Photo by NB Indy Staff
Some of the most notable names in the world of golf are set to tee off next week at the 20th Toshiba Classic, held at the Newport Beach Country Club.
Fred Couples, Ben Crenshaw, Steve Elkington, Hale Irwin, Bernhard Langer, Corey Pavin, Loren Roberts, Craig Stadler, Curtis Strange, Tom Watson, and Fuzzy Zoeller are just some of the pro golfers scheduled to play in the Toshiba Classic, part of the Champions Tour (a membership organization of professional golfers age 50 and older, conceived in 1980 as the Senior PGA Tour).
The tournament week schedule includes Pro-Am rounds Monday through Thursday (with each foursome paired with a Champions Tour professional), followed by the Toshiba Classic rounds Friday through Sunday.
Among the highlights of the week is the annual Breakfast with a Champion, presented by the Allergan Corporation and set for Tuesday morning at the Balboa Bay Resort.
In celebration of the 20th anniversary of the Toshiba Classic, Atsutoshi Nishida – the chairman of Toshiba Corporation and the tournament’s founder – is being honored.
The breakfast also features 2010 European Ryder Cup Captain and PGA Champions Tour rookie Colin Montgomerie, who became one of his generation’s most recognizable and endearing sports stars and a true statesman of golf.
During the breakfast, two top Orange County students will be awarded with a $10,000 scholarship from the Toshiba Classic Scholarship Fund, one of the Classic’s charitable arms comprised of Hoag Hospital Foundation and Toshiba America, Inc.
The Toshiba Classic has set the standard for competitive play and charitable giving on the Champions Tour, and boasts one of the tour’s largest galleries thanks to Newport Beach’s classic course, postcard-perfect weather and strong annual field of players.
The Toshiba Classic’s lead charity and operator is Hoag Hospital Foundation. The 2014 tournament will benefit the Mary and Dick Allen Diabetes Center at Hoag for the fourth consecutive year. The Toshiba Classic has generated more than $16 million for charity in the last 16 years, the most on the Champions Tour. Hoag Hospital Foundation also received the inaugural PGA Champions Tour Charity of the Year Award in 1998.
Tickets for the Toshiba Classic are $20 if purchased in advance of tournament week or $25 at the gate. Season patron badges are $100, which provide week-long grounds and clubhouse admission for practice rounds and the tournament. Daily tickets providing grounds and clubhouse access are $40 per day.
Visit toshibaclassic.com for more information.
